Atty. Gen. Cooper Against Duke Energy Rate Hikes

Your utility bills could be on the rise, but Attorney General Roy Cooper wants state regulators to reject a Duke Energy rate increase.

Cooper filed late Tuesday with the North Carolina Utilities Commission to oppose the latest rate hike request by Duke Energy Carolinas, which could increase rates by 4.5% for the first two years and then 5.1% after that. If approved, this would be the third rate hike since 2009.

"People are already struggling to pay their bills and utilities want to raise rates yet again. We'll continue to fight these increases that fail to adequately take consumers into account," says Attorney General Cooper.

This latest request to raise rates comes on top of a 7.2% rate hike for Duke Energy customers put in place earlier this year, which Cooper fought successfully to the North Carolina Supreme Court and is continuing to oppose.